FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT ARMOUR - PAGE 5

The controversy over whether Under Armour's high-tech skinsuits contributed to U.S. speedskaters' poor showing at the Sochi Olympics seemed over when the Baltimore-based sports brand renewed its sponsorship of the sport through two more Winter Olympics and said the suits would be back. That deal was announced even before the end of the February games. Now, US Speedskating has identified factors that led to athletes' failure to medal, and the design of the suits is not among them, Ted Morris, executive director, said Friday.

The Chicago Cubs baseball franchise sued Baltimore-based Under Armour Inc. yesterday, contending that the sports apparel maker reneged on a promised $10.8 million, five-year sponsorship agreement after its profits declined. In a complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, the ballclub said the garment maker agreed to the deal and is still using Cubs players and the team's stadium, Wrigley Field, in advertisements for its products. Under Armour told the Cubs in a Dec. 12 letter that it would not sponsor them for the next season and "would not meet any of its obligations under the agreement," according to the team's complaint, which seeks full payment of the contract price.

Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank is scheduled to profile his company this afternoon at the Goldman Sachs retailing conference in New York, and the assembled investors will probably harp about profit margins. Margins - sales minus costs expressed as a percentage of sales - are the obsession of Under Armour analysts and seemingly the Achilles heel in Under Armour's armor. After one margin measure slipped 2 percentage points in the second-quarter report, the Baltimore company's stock went from $40 to $33 in two weeks.

The Under Armour brand is poised for continued growth with a soon-to-be-released football cleat that's expected to drive footwear sales, as well as plans to keep expanding into international markets, executives told stockholders Tuesday. Consumers who choose Under Armour over other sports apparel brands do so because the products help solve problems for athletes, said Kevin Plank, the company's chairman, president and CEO, during the company's annual stockholders' meeting at its South Baltimore headquarters.

Kevin Plank soared up Forbes' list of the world's top billionaires. The 41-year-old founder and CEO of Baltimore-based Under Armour is now the world's 731 s t richest person, with a net worth of $2.4 billion. That's up from number 1,175 on last year's list, when Plank had a net worth of $1.2 billion. Plank, who owns more than 21 million shares of Under Armour, has steered the sports apparel maker in just the past several months through continued overseas expansion, the company's first acquisition and a 10-year deal to supply the athletic teams at the University of Notre Dame, Forbes noted in its list.

Under Armour took a step toward gaining greater global recognition for its brand Thursday, announcing a sponsorship of South American soccer club Colo-Colo, part of Chile's Primera Division. Baltimore-based Under Armour said the partnership is the first in which it will supply uniforms to a "top-tier" South American soccer club, winner of 29 national titles. The sports apparel maker will design and make uniforms and training apparel for the clubs teams, as well as products for fans, under the five-year-agreement.

Under Armour has agreed to a multi-year partnership with Fight For Children, a non-profit working to improve early childhood and K-12 education. The Baltimore-based sports apparel brand said Tuesday it will serve as the presenting sponsor of the group's annual Fight Night fundraising event, now in its 25 t h year. The Washington fund-raiser attracts 2,000 attendees from business, government, entertainment and community service for a night of entertainment and professional boxing.

Under Armour announced Wednesday that it signed an endorsement deal with Cam Newton, last year's Heisman Trophy winner and quarterback when the Auburn Tigers became the BCS National Championship team this year. Newton's deal will begin with a national advertising and in-store campaign this year, and he will wear the Baltimore company's latest football gear at this week's NFL Scouting Combine. Financial details of the deal were not disclosed. "Cam Newton is an incredible talent and a proven champion whose skills are unique and exciting," Matt Mirchin, Under Armour's senior vice president of sports marketing, said in a statement.

Under Armour is hoping to double the size of its Baltimore headquarters to accommodate additional employees, a retail store and a company museum. The sports apparel company wants to build an additional 400,000 square feet at Tide Point, an office complex in the Locust Point neighborhood that the firm, which had rented there for years, bought earlier this year. The company envisions a 20,000-square-foot store opening in 2013, with offices and the museum to follow. Underground and surface parking are also planned.

Under Armour will become the National Lacrosse League's exclusive supplier of apparel, footwear and equipment under a deal announced Monday. The Baltimore-based athletic apparel maker will start outfitting lacrosse players when the 2014 season starts Dec. 18 and will supply the league through the 2016 season, the league said. Athletes will wear UA Micro G Gridiron training shoes and be among the first to compete with Under Armour lacrosse gloves and lacrosse heads. The professional indoor lacrosse league includes nine franchises in the United States and Canada.